Steve Lord

Steve Lord was a professional journalist for 48 years, the past 41 with The Beacon-News in Aurora. He won numerous regional and statewide awards, including two Peter J. Lisagor awards from the Chicago Headline Club. Raised in Naperville, he has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

West Aurora School District teachers and office professionals help load 250 bags of food items recently for the annual Aurora Holiday Food Drive at the West Aurora School District Administration Building in Aurora. (West Aurora School District)

West Aurora School District staff helps during annual Aurora Holiday Food Drive

November 17, 2025 at 1:02 p.m.

As the Aurora Holiday Food Drive continues, the Aurora community is coming together to make it a happy Thanksgiving for those in need.

Food has been collected to go with turkeys for holiday dinner baskets to be given out by Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry. Members of New England Congregational Church in Aurora will meet coming up to assemble the baskets. (Steve Lord/For The Beacon-News)

Community participation key to Holiday Food Drive in Aurora

November 7, 2025 at 7:16 a.m.

Aurora is in the midst of the 18th Holiday Food Drive, which is designed to fill shelves at the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry. The drive runs through Nov. 26,...

Empty shelves in the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry warehouse is what the Holiday Food Drive is all about, organizers said. These shelves usually hold bread, which has been particularly difficult for the pantry to get this year. (Steve Lord/For The Beacon-News)

Annual Holiday Food Drive in Aurora set to start

October 30, 2025 at 12:34 p.m.

The food drive begins Saturday and will run through Nov. 26, the day before Thanksgiving.

Mike Saville, Aurora's 6th Ward alderman for almost 40 years, sits in his City Hall office in front of a poster for the annual Ukulele Fest, an event in downtown Aurora which he created a few years ago. (Steve Lord / The Beacon-News)

After nearly 40 years on the Aurora City Council, Ald. Mike Saville still excited about ‘making a difference in the community’

December 26, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.

Saville's tenure is the most consecutive years on the council for any alderman since at least the change of government in the city in 1977, and maybe ever.

A table tent sits on a table at Taqueria Durango in North Aurora, one of a number of locally-owned restaurants in the Aurora area that displayed the tents to publicize the Aurora Holiday Food Drive, which was held in November. (Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry

Holiday Food Drive collects more than 14,000 pounds of food for Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry

December 6, 2024 at 3:50 p.m.

The 17th annual Holiday Food Drive raised the equivalent of 14,556 pounds of food for the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry.

Aurora City Council set to vote on addition to engineering contract for roadwork

December 5, 2024 at 1:50 p.m.

The Aurora City Council will vote Tuesday on an addendum to the contract with HR Green, Inc. for roadwork on Farnsworth Avenue, Bilter Road and Church Road in the city.

Aurora City Council to vote on establishing education savings accounts for kindergarten students

December 4, 2024 at 4:51 p.m.

The Aurora City Council is set to vote on a contract for a pilot program to give kindergarten students in the city a $50 savings account to go toward education...

Aurora City Hall is at 44 E. Downer Place in the city's downtown. City Council members on Tuesday night approved a $759.6 million budget for 2025 for the city. (City of Aurora)

Aurora City Council OKs $759.6 million city budget for 2025

December 4, 2024 at 4:18 p.m.

Chris Minick, the city’s chief financial officer, has said the budget is balanced, and anticipates strong consumptive tax revenues - sales taxes, gas taxes, food and beverage taxes and hotel...

Aurora appoints first members of advisory board which will focus on seniors

December 2, 2024 at 2:46 p.m.

The Aurora City Council recently appointed the first members of the new Aging-in-Community Advisory Board, a group that will focus on issues facing seniors in the city.

Aurora City Council approves addition to contract to allow for four online surveys

December 2, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.

The addition will cost $45,000, and will give the city at least four pulse surveys - short-term surveys that take only about five to eight weeks for results - which...

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